Credit: Chris Christo

THROW US A CURVEBALL: Michael Schlow — our local restaurateur with joints across the country, like Boston spots Doretta Taverna and Tico — was a guest on the Hallmark Channel’s “Home & Family” yesterday morning. While winter is far from over here in the Hub, the chef whipped up a batch of spring pea soup, which he paired with spicy shrimp salad and mint, alongside host Debbie Matenopoulos in the Los Angeles studio. Also on the menu: Some playful banter about Schlow’s unexpected baseball skills, including his 92-mph throw. But he shyly admitted that his kitchen capabilities have made for a longer lasting career than he would have had on the field.

BEE A WINNER: Our city’s most skilled young spellers will be flocking to Copley Square’s Boston Public Library Saturday for the annual citywide Spelling Bee. Hosted by Boston Centers for Youth and Families and sponsored by the Boston Bruins Foundation, the contest will attract 21 competitors in grades four through seven, with the winner heading to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., in May. Last year, Boston’s Bee went 14 rounds strong, followed by 13 final rounds and the championship round. In the end, Raslan Haniff, a then-9-year-old fourth-grader at Brighton’s Winship Elementary School, went home victorious after spelling “cacophony” correctly. We’ll soon see which young’un will take the title this time around.